Top right: Bruguiera hainesii seedlings; bottom right: the plant's flowers.
PETALING JAYA (Jan 24): Take a good look at the plant above. Save the picture if you like, because it could be the next Dodo of the plant world.
There are just some 200 trees worldwide of this critically endangered mangrove species, known locally as 'Berus Mata Buaya' (Bruguiera hainesii). Of these, two trees are located in Vietnam and four in Singapore.
The silver lining is that Malaysia is in pole position to save this species. With an estimated 100 trees located in Pulau Indah, Port Klang and Pulau Kecil in Sepetang, Perak, Malaysia is the last bastion for this species, says the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS). More trees were discovered recently at the Pulau Kukup Johor National Park.
Yet the glass of hope is half empty.
"In Malaysia, no one is doing anything to protect it," MNS president Prof. Maketab Mohamed told fz.com.
The tenuous fate of the Bruguiera hainesii is a red flag for the vanishing mangrove ecosystems worldwide. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimates that more than one in six mangrove species worldwide are in danger of extinction due to coastal development, climate change, logging and agriculture.
The Bruguiera hainesii is one of two mangrove species that were highlighted by the IUCN when it announced in 2010 the results of the first-ever global assessment on the conservation status of mangroves for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
The other mangrove species that the IUCN said needed "urgent protection" is the Sonneratia griffithii, known locally as 'Perepet Daun Lebar' – found in Merbok, near Sungai Petani, Kedah. Sonneratia griffithii is found in India and Southeast Asia, where 80% of all mangrove area has been lost over the past 60 years, the IUCN said.
It is not known if these two species contain any medicinal properties, but Maketab points out it is still an important part of biodiversity on which further research needs to be conducted.
This is why MNS is now working with the Peninsular Malaysia Forestry Department and the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia to create an inventory of the mangrove trees and gazette the area.
It is also hoping to rope in the State Forestry Departments and the state governments apart from relevant local authorities, especially in Sungai Petani.
The society will also help raise awareness about the species via FaceBook with hope it would generate interest and encourage the public to play their part in the conservation of the mangroves.
The Merbok Mangroves, Maketab said, were the richest in the world and can be marketed as an ecotourism product.
"More importantly, preserving these species will also show the world that Malaysia is serious in becoming a more environmental friendly country," he said.
According to the IUCN website, the Bruguiera hainesii has very low rates of propagation and low rates of germination.
Sonneratia griffithii is declining due to coastal development and extraction since the 1950s, primarily due to the clearing of mangroves for rice farming, shrimp aquaculture and coastal development.
Mangroves are vital to coastal communities as they protect them from damage caused by tsunami waves, erosion and storms, and serve as a nursery for fish and other species that support coastal livelihoods, the IUCN says.
In addition, they have a "staggering ability" to sequester carbon from the atmosphere, and serve as both a source and repository for nutrients and sediments for other inshore marine habitats, such as seagrass beds and coral reefs.
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